Wednesday, February 11, 2015

A People of Truth

By: Rabbi Pinchus Lipschutz

In the alma deshikra
in which we live, truth is a rare commodity. Fiction, deviation, misinformation
and half-truths are pervasive in our world. The only way to have a connection
to the truth is by following theTorah. Mishpotim, the laws that
govern finances, which we study this week, must have a basis intheTorahin order for them to be truthful and just.

In focusing on last week’s parshasYisro, which teaches us about mattan Torah, and Mishpotim,
the parsha that follows, a theme emerges. The drama and glory of Maamad
Har Sinai were an introduction to the laws governing how we deal with each
other.

The depth of the connection
between the two parshiyos is revealed by the Sefas Emes, who
explains that “Ve’eileh hamishpotim asher tosim lifneihem” is the
natural consequence of “Anochi Hashem Elokecha.”

The posuk states, “…asher
tosim lifneihem,” teaching us that even though these laws appear to be
rational, Jews are forbidden to adjudicate their disputes in secular courts.
Even if the secular laws seem to be the same as those that appear in the Torah,
we must know that they are not. There are truths and then there is the Torah’s
truth, composed and transmitted by the One whose seal is truth. We don’t live
our lives in accordance with social mores and customs of the world around us.
We live with His truth only.

A rov was delivering
a Gemara shiur to a group of intelligent and accomplished professionals
who had no Torah background. Among them were judges, lawyers and professors.
They were studying Maseches Bava Kama, when a judge interrupted the shiur.
“Look,” he said, “this is very nice and clear, but I don’t know what makes this
stuff more special or unique than anything I’ve studied. I guarantee you that
if you present to me a dilemma, I can come up with the same answer as your
rabbis. Pardon me, but this is logical thought. I can’t detect anything Divine
about it.”

“Tell me please,” responded
the rov, “what you would do if you came home from work and heard that
your eleven-year old son had been playing baseball and mistakenly threw the
ball through the neighbor’s window, shattering it? Your neighbor welcomes you
by shouting that your dog kicked over a lantern and made a small fire, burning
his rose-bush. Everyone is angry at you. How would you resolve it and make
things right?”

The judge pondered the
question for several minutes. The listeners were eager to hear his
well-reasoned response. Finally, he spoke up. “I would apologize to the
neighbor about his rose-bush, but an animal is just an animal and I am not
culpable. My son, however, is my problem and I would offer to pay for the
broken window.”

The rov smiled.
“Excellent. But the Torah says exactly the opposite. Your child is a minor, a kotton
hamazik,and thus you areexempt from financial
responsibility for his actions. But you are responsible for your animal.
You are liable for its actions because you are obligated to watch it well. You
thus have to pay nezek, depending on the situation.”

The attendees at the shiur
burst into spontaneous applause, thrilled by this demonstration that the
truth that governs creations is not governed by logic. They sensed that there
is a Divine chochmah that guides us. At times, it may be logical. At
other times it isn’t. But it certainly is never defined by logic.

This is true outside of the
bais medrash, where chochmas haTorah is ignored. The world runs
on a form of fiction, a lie that is compelling and enticing and bears all the
similarities to the truth. But it is still a lie. The system of justice
presents itself as honorific and precise, but all too often we find that the
people who administer justice are lacking in fidelity to a just code.

From outside appearances,
it seems that the laws are similar, but they are not. There are some things
that you think you can accept at face value, but even those are often fiction.
The yeitzer hora tempts us with different guises. Some are transparent
and obvious enticements, while others are more cleverly devised to fool and
entrap us. Societal mores are presented as truths, and those who don’t accept
them are made to feel that they are out-of-fashion and irrelevant vestiges from
a different time.

America is reeling now. The
very face of network news - and nothing is more hallowed than that - has been
proven to be a liar who fabricated personal experiences in order to promote
himself. One of America’s most trusted journalists simply made up stories and
has been telling them for years. Paid $10 million annually to read the news,
because of his abilities to present it in a way Americans trust, he was caught
in a lie he has been telling since 2003.

Everything about this icon
of reliability and truth was perfect. His stories were interesting, his passion
real, his expression appropriate - except, well, that what he was saying wasn’t
true.

Everyone on his team knew
he was lying, as did people involved in the incident, but nobody cared, because
he fit the part he was promoted as: Mr. Truth. His network celebrated his first
decade of service by posting a grandiloquent retrospect stating, “You build it
slowly over time. And what you build, if you work hard enough, if you respect,
is a powerful thing called trust.”

He was finally called out
for lying about his Iraq experience. The pressure became too much to bear and
the man of truth was forced to issue an apology. Last Wednesday night, the
proud peacock strutted into the chair from which he addresses millions nightly
and tried to fine tune an apology, blaming his lies on “the fog of war.” He
explained that he had “conflated” two stories to praise the heroism and valor
of enlisted men.

He might have survived in
the old days, but in the internet age, by week’s end, he had to “temporarily”
go off the air. Still trying to keep his façade going, he wrote, “Upon my
return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of
those who place their trust in us.” His bosses had no comment.

It’s all a game. Some
people play baseball, some play football, and some play the truth.

In our world, everything is
sheker. There is no truth outside of the Torah. Leadership is about
acting, about feigning sincerity and compassion, intelligence and presence.
Facts and numbers are stubborn things, but they are either ignored or spun by
those in power to create and foster the narrative necessary to promote their
agenda.

The president trumpeted in
his State of the Union message that “Our economy is growing and creating jobs
at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was
before the financial crisis.”

What he didn’t say was that
the percent of full time jobs as a percent of the adult population is at a 30
year low. The official government numbers don’t count anyone as unemployed if
they haven’t looked for a job over the past four weeks. Thirty million
Americans are out of work, even more are suffering in low paying or part time
jobs, but the big lie persists that the economy is picking up and unemployment
is dropping.

The woman running for
president, though she still lies about her intentions, was caught in a similar
falsity to that of the trusted news anchor when she spoke about her braveness
under fire in Bosnia. When video appeared showing that there was no attack, the
vaunted secretary of state said that she “misspoke.” She “misspoke” about the
attack in Benghazi as well, but, in her words, “what difference does it make?”

It’s a game and everyone
plays along. Her husband was impeached and is a known liar, yet he is the most
popular politician in this country.

The current president
misspeaks all the time, yet it has become acceptable, because that’s the way
the game is played. It’s all a game. When he speaks the truth, as he did last
week in a most undiplomatic and impolitic way about the murderous Christian
Crusades and Inquisition, he was widely condemned for speaking the truth about
Edom.

He says that he can’t meet
Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu when he comes to Washington next
month, because the administration cannot appear to take sides in the upcoming
Israeli election. Yet, that didn’t prevent Vice President Joe Biden and
Secretary of State John Kerry from meeting with his strongest challenger, Buzi
Herzog, over the weekend in Europe. This is the same vice president who says
that he won’t be able to attend the Israeli prime minister’s address to
Congress about the dangers of capitulating to Iran, because he will be
traveling abroad. He doesn’t yet know where he will be traveling, however. But,
remember, he is Israel’s best friend, ever.

The same Buzi Herzog who
seeks to become Israel’s next prime minister condemned Netanyahu at the
international conference he was attending. Whether Netanyahu’s decision to snub
the American president was unwise or not, it is an entirely different story to
minimize the Iranian threat in order to gain media and Democrat favor. Herzog
said in his speech, “As leaders, we must put the interests of our country and
our citizens far ahead of our own political survival.” He then proceeded to do
exactly the opposite.

The New York Times,
in a religion article over the weekend, warned Israel that “Mr. Netanyahu’s
apparent alignment with Republicans will erode the support of [the] majority of
American Jews who reliably vote Democratic, because they lean liberal on most
social and economic issues.”

The media cares deeply
about Israel and thus feels an obligation to warn its leaders how to behave and
which causes to adopt. The Times article informs that there is a new
advocacy group, recently formed to pressure the Israeli chief rabbinate to
approve non-halachic religious ceremonies.

So what does one thing have
to do with the other? The Jewish Religious Equality Coalition, a new group
comprised of Reform and Conservative clergy, as well as Rabbis Asher Lopatin
and other neo-Orthodox renegades, is chaired by Dov S. Zakheim, a former
Defense Department official. Somehow, that qualifies him to tell Jews how to be
Jewish.

“There are two
fundamentally linked issues,” says Zakheim. “When you have American Jews who
move to Israel and feel they are treated as second-class citizens by an
ultra-Orthodox rabbinate, they all have friends and family back at home who
hear about it and that discontent and disconnect spreads.

“And the second linked
part, which is what got me involved, is national security. While Israel and
America do not see eye to eye on every issue, on national security they are two
democracies that do see things essentially the same way. If you alienate one
pillar of American support, you’ve lost them,” warns Zakheim from the pages of
the Times.

Even though the fact
remains that Israelis don’t care about this and accept that halachah and
Torah are the ultimate guide of the Jewish people, the experts who warn Israel
to accept their deviations from tradition lest they suffer dire financial
consequences don’t seem to care.

“We know the election is
going to be fought on other grounds - foreign policy, economics, the
relationship with the U.S.,” Steven Bayme, director of the American Jewish
Committee’s Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations, tells the
Times. “But the voices of American Jews need to be heard, even on what
appears to be an Israeli issue that hasn’t caught fire with Israelis. We’ve got
to be a consciousness-raising effort with a lobbying arm.”

So, the Israelis don’t
care, and thus the issue is bogus, but no matter, they will still insist that
people follow their liberal agenda and berate the prime minster and rabbis
until their agenda is adopted.

Someone should explain to
them that the Torah is eternally true and relevant. We are not affected by
today’s trends and fads, for we know that they will not stand the test of time.
To compromise on truths is to engage in a fictitious momentary pursuit. To
water down what we are and what we stand for to appeal to the likes of the Times
and NBC is a foolish endeavor.

The transparent attempts to
betray the life-giving vision and mission of the Torah are to untether our
vital links in exchange for temporal and fleeting societal standards which are
in constant flux.

Alma deshikra means that everything around us is a lie. It’s all sheker.
The sooner we realize that, the sooner we can have a connection to the truth of
Torah. When we recognize that the world is basically fabricated of lies covered
by a veneer of honesty, we learn a valuable lesson in how to navigate its roads
and avoid its pitfalls.

Anyone whose neshomah was
at Har Sinai must learn this parsha and realize that if we study ParshasYisro and accept the Torahand its truth, but we fail to study
and properly observe the laws contained in ParshasMishpotim, our
acceptance of Torah is lacking. Yisro is contingent on Mishpotim.
One who doesn’t properly carry out the laws of Choshen Mishpot can
neither be a ben Torah nora mokir Torah. Someone who
lacks respect for the property of others is practicing fake religiosity. A
deceptive person and those who lack integrity and are generally untrustworthy
have essentially not accepted the word of Hashem into their hearts. Those who
engage in fraud and disrespect are not only dishonest and uncaring; they have
failed in their commitment of naaseh v’nishma.

Sometimes, people neglect
or bend the laws of Choshen Mishpot because they place the pursuit of
finances above all other values. In so doing, they demonstrate their human
frailty as well as a lack of faith in the Divine order. At times, man’s vision
becomes clouded. We must endeavor to always be honest and upstanding in our
dealings, not permitting our own interests to subconsciously cause us to err.

Rav Chaim of Volozhin once
ruled in a din Torah between two talmidei chachomim. The loser
was upset with the decision and told Rav Chaim how he felt.

Years later, the rov
who lost that din Torah was approached by two litigants who asked him to
preside over their dispute. He listened to the two sides and ruled. Later,
while reviewing the case, he realized that the dilemma he faced was similar to
the one that he and his fellow disputant had brought to Rav Chaim many years
earlier. In fact, after studying the sources, he issued the same ruling as Rav
Chaim. He realized that years before, he had been wrong when he castigated Rav
Chaim.

When he later met one of
the litigants, he thanked him. “The din Torah you brought me helped me
clarify something and led me to do teshuvah.”

The fellow shrugged. “I
don’t remember the case, because it wasn’t real. Rav Chaim Volozhiner paid us
and told us what to argue in the din Torah, which he asked us to
arbitrate in your court.”

The humbled dayan
hurried to Rav Chaim and apologized. Rav Chaim told him, “I knew that you are a
talmid chochom but that negius would prevent you from seeing the
truth in your own din Torah, so I created this case for you to allow
your Torah to speak, rather than your personal interests. Now you see what
negius does.”

Yisro has to converge with Mishpotim.

We live in an era when much
is made about diplomacy and bridge-building. Certainly, we need to strive for
peace and do what we can to work harmoniously with others. But in paying homage
to the ideals of shalom, we cannot forget the value of emes.

The Torah that we follow is
comprised of emes and its paths lead to true peace. In order to achieve
proper lasting relationships and friendships, they must be based on honesty and
fidelity to the truth. If we are evasive or deceptive, as charming as we try to
be and as hard as we try to mask our differences, we will ultimately fail.

Armed with strength and
truth, and guided by Torah, we can build bridges to make the world a better
place and prepare it for the coming of Moshiach. By being honest, facing
up to our differences and surmounting them, we can reach accommodations that
last over time.

Parents of a particularly
stubborn child brought him to the rebbe of Piaseczna, Rav Klonymous
Kalman Shapiro zt”l, one of the greatest mechanchim in pre-war
Poland. The parents described to the rebbe how their son refuses to
listen to their instructions.

“Did you try making him see
things your way?” the rebbe asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

“Have you tried cajoling or
bribing him?” he continued.

“Yes, but to no avail.”

“Well, then,” the rebbe
smiled, “you have a young man of truth and tenacity on your hands, and you have
the potential to raise the next Chasam Sofer. See to it that you use his
firmness well. Fill his world and mind with truth, so that when he wages
battles, they will be for the truth.”

We need shalom, but
we have to equally value emes. We need great men to embrace others and
draw them close, but we also need great leaders who will chart a course of
truth and tradition, telling us when battles cannot be settled through
compromise.

Without Mishpotim -
honesty and uprightness in all areas - there is no Yisro. This means
being honest in business, careful with the money of others, and aware of our
mandate of how to behave with other people.

The wife of the Chazon Ish
ran a small textile business. She once had a disagreement with a customer, who
suggested that they ask her husband to adjudicate the matter. They approached
the Chazon Ish, who ruled that the customer was right.

Later on, the Chazon Ish
sensed that his wife was hurt that he ruled against her. He spoke to her softly
and gently. “Tell me please,” he said, “of what value is life if one possesses
even a penny that is not his own?”

She was placated by her
husband’s gentle words. They should be our mandate.

Just as life has no meaning
without Torah, so is the order of creation interrupted by a lack of mishpot.
Last week, when the baal kriah read the Aseres Hadibros, our
heartbeat quickened, as we sensed that we were hearing the song of life itself.

This week is no different. Mishpotim is the second half. It
is the flip side of last week’s coin and just as critical. Hashem Elokeichem
emes. His seal is emes. May we, the People of Truth, act in a way
that will allow us to stand proud when the time of truth arrives.